The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Leadership curriculum is intentionally designed to align program outcomes, course content, and assessment strategies with the AACN Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Nurse Leader Core Competencies. The curriculum emphasizes competency-based education, progressive leadership development, and system-level thinking required for contemporary nurse leaders. Program outcomes are scaffolded across courses using an Introduced, Reinforced, and Mastery (I/R/M) framework, culminating in a supervised leadership capstone experience that demonstrates achievement of advanced-level competencies.
Program Mission
The MSN Program in the College of Graduate and Extended Studies at Central Methodist University prepares nurses to lead with clinical expertise, strategic vision, and a commitment to equitable, evidence based care. The curriculum integrates advanced clinical knowledge with organizational leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety principles. Graduates are equipped to promote ethical decision making, advance positive health outcomes, and uphold social responsibility across diverse healthcare environments.
Program Outcomes
1. Lead and evaluate quality and safety improvement initiatives using workforce trends, evidence based practice and performance data.
2. Apply healthcare finance, policy, and systems thinking to guide operational decisions and steward organizational resources ethically and effectively.
3. Develop, manage, and retain the nursing workforce using human resource management principles, effective communication, and evidence based leadership strategies.
4. Demonstrate leadership competence by applying knowledge in supervised practice settings and delivering a capstone project that showcases mastery of program competencies and impact on healthcare outcomes.
5. Integrate informatics, analytics, and digital solutions to drive evidence-based decisions that shape clinical, operational, and strategic outcomes.
6. Promote health equity and population health outcomes through data driven assessment, collaboration and targeted interventions.
Admission Criteria
POLICY: The Admissions Committee shall review all completed applications to the nursing program. The committee will determine whether an applicant may be admitted unconditionally, admitted with provisions, or not admitted, based on established criteria. This committee will include the following individuals: the Division Chair of Health Professions, all CMU nursing program and clinical coordinators, one full time MSN faculty member, and one adjunct MSN faculty member.
Students who have graduated from any of Central Methodist University’s baccalaureate nursing programs in 2012 or later, have passed the NCLEX, and have an unencumbered nursing license are eligible for direct admission to the MSN program. Please contact Graduate Admissions for further information at cges@centralmethodist.edu.
All other applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Eligible for admission to Central Methodist University's Graduate School
- Current Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree from a college or university accredited by CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA.
- Current, undisciplined RN license from a U.S. state or territory
- Cumulative GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from the completed BSN program
- Nursing Research course with a C grade or better
- Statistics course with a C grade or better
- Submission of an Application for Admission
- Resume and cover letter (one page each) detailing why you are pursuing a graduate degree and how you will use this degree to improve your current practice. Submit to cges@centralmethodist.edu.
- Submission of a formal written paper to cges@centralmethodist.edu. A maximum of four pages, demonstrating skills in grammar, spelling, and composition supported by at least two (2) sources from current literature (APA formatting mandatory) that addresses one of the two following prompts:
- What is the role of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) in shaping the future of healthcare delivery? or
- What is the role of the Nurse Educator in shaping the future of healthcare delivery?
- Two letters of recommendation, one must be from a previous instructor or supervisor. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly from the author to cges@centralmethodist.edu.
Student submitted transcripts or letters of recommendation are not accepted. Please direct your transcript request and recommendation authors to send the documents directly to cges@centralmethodist.edu.
Conditional Admission
Students who do not meet the published admission criteria for the MSN program may petition for conditional admission during the Admission Review Process. Petition letters must explain why the student does not meet the standard and provide a valid reason for consideration for acceptance. Additionally, students should express how they plan to be successful should their petition to be considered for admission be granted. The Admissions Committee will then submit a recommendation to the Director of Graduate Studies once the petition has been reviewed.
Nurse Leader Coursework (Required)
| NU501 | Evidence-Based Practice and Scholarly Communication | 3 |
| NU503 | Quality, Safety & Performance Improvement | 3 |
| NU524 | Human Resource Management in Healthcare | 3 |
| NU526 | Professional Role of the Nursing Leader | 3 |
| NU529 | Healthcare Issues and Policy | 3 |
| NU532 | Healthcare Finance and Economics | 3 |
| NU535 | Population Health | 3 |
Nurse Educator Certificate (Optional)
| NU509 | Curriculum Development | 3 |
| NU513 | Evaluation Methods | 3 |
| NU515 | Instructional Strategies | 3 |
| NU517 | Issue and Trends in Post-Secondary Education | 3 |